Chapter Thirty-Two - Dull Defeat

The day definitely took a turn for the dull after the Mantis Queen was dealt with.

It was actually a rather common occurrence. After victory came the not-so-enviable task of ensuring that everything was running smoothly. It did one no good to eliminate an enemy only to be left with a disorganised mess in the morning after.

I had several things to tackle, and unfortunately I could only pawn off so many of them. I resisted the urge to go on and make more pawn jokes. Time was money at the moment, and I was currently short-changed.

"Well, this is capital," I said with a dark chuckle.

Cinder looked up and in my direction, the question clear in her eyes. She had successfully gathered all of the now... mostly-undressed living cultivators into one group. They were being guarded by their previously-living comrades. Soon they'd have to deal with the zombie stench, but that was an issue for those with olfactory capabilities.

Ah, I was getting side-tracked. Yes, the situation called for several issues to be remedied. First, the cultivators. Prisoners of war were well and good, but they still needed to be moved and housed somewhere.

Second, Mem's efforts to placate and inform the local mantis population about the change in leadership was going... predictably. Which was to say that Mem's siblings seemed all too willing to kill her for the slight. Alex was currently smoothing things along by smashing anyone who disagreed too loudly into the floor with a sweep of a broom.

Thirdly, the dwarves. Orbital and Belt were being somewhat standoffish at the moment, though they were eyeing the heap of treasures by the throne with dwarven avarice.

"Cinder dear, keep an eye on our hostages for an hour or so more," I replied. "We'll be transporting them elsewhere soon enough."

Cinder nodded, acknowledging the order.

"Alex, keep Mem alive for a few more minutes please," I called out.

"Yes papa!" Alex replied.

Good, that left the dwarves. I walked over to the Sander... brothers? Cousins? Hmm, I'd never asked, and now that I thought about it, I really didn't care. "Well, as you can see, we have successfully proven capable of ridding the dwarven nation of its mantis problem."

Belt blinked, then gave his beard a tug. "Yeah, I suppose," he said. "But there's still lots of mantises around."

"Only for now. We'll be relocating them shortly. I believe that my erstwhile apprentice has been having it too easy as of late, with subordinates that actually care and listen to what she has to say. An army of belligerents will do her well! There's nothing like handling malcontents and fools to strengthen one's resolve to eventually take over the world and set things aright."

Belt didn't seem so certain about that. "Whatever you say, sir," he said. "So you're taking all of the mantises and leaving our mountain then?"

"Some of them. The more... troublesome might have to be handled in another way. But that's no concern of yours. These tunnels will be emptied by the day's end. You can announce to the Sander clan that the space is free of their old nemesis once and for all."

Belt did stand taller at the news. "The clan will be happy to hear that. It'll finally mean freeing up some good dwarves from constant guard duty."

"No more patrols," Orbital agreed.

"Well, some patrols still," Belt corrected. "But definitely fewer. Not to mention all this territory that'll be up for grabs." I could see the glimmer in his eyes.

How much space did the mantises occupy? I supposed that, with the way dwarves built their homes, it was less a question of surface area and more one of volume. With the mantises covering the entire mountaintop and going some ways below ground... yes, that was a decent amount of space that they could regain.

"I'll be ready to consider the sale of this territory in about a week's time," I said.

Belt stiffened. "The... sale?"

"Why, of course, I've conquered it, haven't I? I have plenty of reasons to want a mountain top. For one, I could shave it down and use the stone to build myself a nice tower."

"A tower," he repeated, sounding somewhat faint.

"In the elven style, of course."

Belt looked like he was about to have a stroke. "N-no," he gasped. "Sir, you must give us some time. We'll talk to our superiors."

"What do you want for this territory?" Orbital asked.

I tapped my chin. "Well, we are starting something of a rebellion, I suppose the assistance of the dwarven clans in procuring resources could be useful," I said. "We will likely need weapons and raw materials. Of course, we'll be willing to pay a fair market rate."

A market which we'd set, of course. How many outsiders did the dwarves trade with? It couldn't be many, not when they were sequestered to their caves and had the Mantis Queen atop them. The Mantis Queen whose organisation was being helped by the Jade Throne.

Did the throne want to keep the dwarves down? That would make a fair amount of sense. The Jade Throne struck me as somewhat... xenophobic. The average cultivator seemed to be able to get away with some strangeness, but they were very much an exception.

I escorted the two dwarves to the entrance we used to enter the Mantis Queen's sanctum, then I sent them off with an escort of undead mantises. I figured that their testimony combined with the presence of the undead should be enough to convince the dwarves that I was quite serious.

Which only left me with a few more challenges.

"Bringing all of these people back will be... hard hard," Cinder said as I approached.

The cultivators still didn't look pleased to be tied up against their will. How unfortunate for them. "Yes, I suppose that dragging them all the way back will be a pain."

"They will try to escape," she said with certainty. "It's in their nature to see honour as something others owe to them and not something they must suffer for themselves."

Well, that was a little biting, wasn't it? "How about I propose an alternative, then?" I asked. "I can open a portal from here to Shitake City. In fact, I can open it right into the sect headquarter's lobby."

Cinder blinked. "Because you have been there before?"

"That does make it easier, yes," I replied.

She eyed me with some suspicion. "There will be some outer disciples and a few inner disciples guarding the location already. And there are cells for miscreants. Not this many, however. It will be... tight tight."

"They'll live," I assured her.

Cinder glanced over to the mantises. Mem, with Alex's and Rem's help, had corralled all of her sisters and a few smaller brothers into the far end of the throne room. There were perhaps sixty or seventy mantises there, and not one of them looked happy. Some seemed fearful and nervous, but when fear was the most positive emotion going around, that usually meant that things weren't ideal.

At the same time, Mem was explaining things. Or... telling a story about a dog she'd met? I suspect that it had started as an analogy and Mem lost the plot along the way at some point.

Cinder nodded. "I trust you have a plan for them that isn't leaving them all in Shitake?"

"I imagine the city wouldn't appreciate the sudden influx of imbecilic carnivorous mantis-people?" I asked. "No, I won't be sending them that way. I'll create a second portal, to Yu Xiang. The Limpet needs to learn how to handle some amount of... difficulty."

"I thought you were doing this in part to help her? The Ashen Forest will likely be very amenable moving forwards."

"Why, of course. But the best help a mentor can provide sometimes is an impossibly difficult challenge. Giving her too much without sticking some sticks in her wheels is just no good for her growth."

Cinder chuckled dryly. "I see, I see. I think I had some teachers with the same attitude. Learn or burn."

"Exactly. No one becomes powerful without some adversity!"

Actually, that was a bald-faced lie. Plenty of people gained power through circumstance and nepotism. It was just how the world worked. Fortunately, my face was bald by default.

"Alex, could you assist me for a moment. I believe I'll open the portal to Shitake first. I'd like a cleared, well-lit area to open it within."

"I can do that, Bone Daddy," Alex agreed. The broom was given to Rem, who clutched it awkwardly close to her body. Then Alex helped by moving a few lamps around, clearing out some room on the ground by the throne, and ensuring that no one was too close. "Do you need help with anything else?"

"Ah, yes," I said. I fished in my pocket for an empty bag. It was a small pouch with a wide mouth. "Do loot the place, please? Keep an eye open for anything cursed."

Alex grinned, and it seemed that even a maid wasn't immune to the fun of looting.

***